Fires and Smoke in Mexico and Guatemala

A thick ribbon of smoke streams out over the Gulf of Mexico from scattered fires in southern Mexico and northern Guatemala in this image from April 10, 2005. The fires, which are marked in bright red, seem to be concentrated in an almost vertical line skirting the edge of the Yucatan Peninsula, starting near the Laguna de Terminos on the edge of the Bahia de Campeche in Mexico. With the onset of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, these fires are likely agricultural in nature - meant to clear old growth to make way for new. The large grey dot at the top of the Yucatan Peninsula is the city of Merida. This is a true-color Aqua MODIS image.
Credit: Jeff Schmaltz